Government went too far for RMA reforms to proceed

Independent conservation organisation Forest & Bird says
the government’s failure to get support for its major
reforms of the Resource Management Act are a signal those
reforms went too far.

Prime Minister John Key
announced this afternoon that the government will have to
pursue its rewriting of the act in a third term, if it gets
re-elected, because it cannot get the support it needs from
its coalition partners to change the law.

“The
Resource Management Act is more than just a piece of
legislation; it’s about all the things that make this
country such a great place to live,” says Forest & Bird
Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell.

“Given the
government can’t get the numbers it needs, it should give
up and leave the fundamentals of the law alone.

“Let’s now have a sensible, evidence-based
conversation about better planning. The sensible parts of
the package could have proceeded with all parties’
support, if Environment Minister Amy Adams had not
overreached with her proposed reforms of the principles of
the act - sections 6 and 7,” Kevin Hackwell says.

The principles in sections 6 and 7 affect all
decision-making and planning by prioritising matters of
national importance, including the maintenance and
enhancement of environmental quality, public access to
waterways, and the protection of outstanding landscapes.

“These are things New Zealanders care about, and yet
the government was prepared to undermine them to allow
unsustainable development,” Kevin Hackwell says.
ends

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